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Makis Spirodopoulos
Makis "Mike" Spirodopoulos was a Starfleet lieutenant commander of Human Greek descent who served aboard the USS Petraeus. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions) Spirodopoulos is a highly analytical officer, ordinarily given to cynicism and distrust (though on occasion he has made some significant leaps of faith), and whose views are often out of step with official Starfleet views, but he joined Starfleet out of love for his home, an ethic for service, and a feeling that his talents were best lent to the military. He has no hesitations about calling a subordinate on the carpet when they step too far out of line--but is quick to return to an amiable demeanor and make amends as soon as he's said what he needs to say. Though his leadership skills are a work in progress, he has already earned a certain degree of trust from those who serve under him. Hailing from the Greek city of Thessaloniki, Makis Spirodopoulos has carried with him a deep faith, and is a practicing Orthodox Christian. He typically prays before battle, and can usually be observed crossing himself during this ritual. Early career Spirodopoulos began his career on Deep Space 5 as a security officer. Being an officer, even after he just graduated the Academy, Ensign Spirodopoulos was often tasked to deal with some of the higher-ranking disruptions aboard the station. Here he developed a keen eye for the mannerisms of different species. This was also where he witnessed his first death--a murder in a bar fight. The course of his career is unknown after Deep Space 5, though he was not present when the Borg cube passed through the sector and destroyed the colony on Ivor Prime. (The Thirteenth Order) The Dominion War Spirodopoulos rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant commander, and the head of security aboard the Petraeus--a Sabre-class vessel that, like the Defiant-class, was one of Starfleet's few truly combat-oriented ships. By the time of the Dominion War, Spirodopoulos was cross-training to assume the combined tactical-XO position that was typical of the Sabre class. However, as troop shortages grew in 2375, Starfleet--which did not normally maintain a standing infantry force as the Cardassian Guard and other forces did--began to call people out of shipside positions who might have any reason to have some expertise in ground combat, to act as Starfleet's infantry force. Following the initial Siege of AR-558 Spirodopoulos served as part of a detachment on the planetoid along with a number of his crewmates from the Petraeus where he served under one Commander Settles. During a pitched battle with a combined Cardassian-Dominion force, Spirodopoulos and eight others in his contingent were taken prisoner by Cardassian troops from the CUW Trager. While held in a makeshift prison in one of the Trager s cargo bays, Spirodopoulos was personally visited by the ship's commander, Gul Akellen Macet. Macet expressed regret for the necessity of keeping the fact from his family that Spirodopoulos had survived as a prisoner of war--a sentiment that came as cold comfort. During his stay aboard the Trager, evidence began to suggest that Macet was operating under his own authority rather than that of Central Command. This suspicion would be confirmed when Macet personally shuttled Spirodopoulos and the other AR-558 prisoners to a low-tech prison camp on the Cardassian outworld of Lessek. During the transport, a spat erupted between the two after which the gul revealed his intention, given the means and the moment, to rebel openly against the Dominion. Spirodopoulos discovered upon arrival that he was now the ranking officer at the Lessek camp. Ordinarily this would have entailed a responsibility to lead an escape attempt, but he became convinced that the prison doubled as a base for the rebels and that it was his duty to try and establish relations between the Cardassian rebels and Starfleet Intelligence. Not all of the Starfleet contingent approved; his most vocal critic was Ensign Folani Jederia of Bajor, a Petraeus shipmate. The Cardassians soon made a shocking revelation to Spirodopoulos: not only had Macet and company turned rebel, but the Federation was now effectively out of the fight thanks to the Breen energy dissipater. Macet made Spirodopoulos an astounding offer--to join the Cardassian rebellion and take the fight to the Dominion behind their own lines. Though Spirodopoulos initially reacted furiously, he began to warm to the idea and convinced the rest of the Starfleet contingent--however reluctantly in some cases--to take this leap though it potentially endangered their lives, and the careers of any survivors who made it back to the Federation after the war was over. That night, Spirodopoulos delivered the final toast in a Cardassian soldiers' initiation ceremony. During the speech, he picked up on a comment by Gul Macet referring to the creation of a "thirteenth Order"--thus immortalizing the name. The Thirteenth Order Spirodopoulos was then one of the leaders of the main ground force in the Battle of Lessek--but in this role came into conflict with Gul Surtak Speros, who appeared to resent the occasions when Spirodopoulos acted on his own initiative. However, Spirodopoulos appeared to gain the respect of Gul Macet, who regarded his cautious approach to the alliance and the safeguarding of his Starfleet comrades as a positive. He also made sure that Spirodopoulos was spared from having to participate in the destruction of the Lessek bases at the end of the battle. During the battle, Spirodopoulos took his starship tactical training--which was at that time confined to the Sabre class in wargaming exercises and not in a live-fire scenario--to learn how to operate the tactical console of the Cardassian Galor class. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions: The Thirteenth Order) Family, personal life, and miscellanea As of 2375, Spirodopoulos was married to a woman named Stasya and they had at least two daughters together. He also has at least some American ancestry; his grandmother is an American residing in Blacksburg, Virginia. Spirodopoulos speaks multiple languages. In addition to Federation Standard and his native Greek, both in which he is fully fluent, he is starting to demonstrate some basic proficiency with the Cardăsda language. In addition to his religious beliefs, Spirodopoulos appears to hold other beliefs that may be seen as unconventional in the 24th century or at least contradictory to the official Federation or Starfleet position. He disapproves of the cession of Federation colonies to the Cardassians (though is equally opposed to the actions of the Maquis and of the Cardassian government--excepting, of course, Gul Berat's goodwill mission). In addition, he is at times displeased with the Federation's deference to the Klingon Empire, and also believes that at times, Starfleet's treatment of prisoners is too lax and endangers their soldiers. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions: ''The Thirteenth Order) Memorable quote Spirodopoulos, Makis Spirodopoulos, Makis Spirodopoulos, Makis Spirodopoulos, Makis